Studies on Fruit and Yield Traits in Indigenous Coloured Varieties of Mango (Mangifera indica L.) in South Gujarat, India

An investigation on fruit descriptors and yield in twelve mango varieties was conducted under South Gujarat conditions. Maximum fruit length was recorded in cv. Totapuri (16.23cm). Vanraj showed the highest values for fruit width (11.67cm), fruit circumference (37.37cm), fruit weight (729g), fruit volume (575.59cm3) and fruit pulp (78.93%). Maximum TSS (21.20%), acidity (0.42%) and fruit firmness (7.00 rating) was observed in cvs. Deshi-1, Deshi-3 and Makaram, respectively. 'Totapuri' had maximum total shelf-life (21.33 days), number of fruits per tree (383.00) and fruit yield (236.80kg/tree). The varieties had green to yellow ground-colour of peel. All the varieties had red-blush peel colour, excepting cvs. Dadamio, Makaram and Swarnarekha which were purplish-red. Similarly, pulp colour ranged from light yellow to light orange. Based on overall performance, cvs. Alphonso, Deshi-1, Deshi-2, Kesar, Khandesi Borasio, Totapuri and Vanraj proved to be superior to the other varieties

Effect of Maturity and Storage Temperature on Shelf-Life and Quality of Banana Cv. Grand Naine

A study was undertaken at Regional Horticulture Research Station, NAU, Navsari, during 2008-2009 to assess the effect of maturity stage and storage temperature on shelf-life and quality of banana cv. Grand Naine. The experiment was evaluated in Completely Randomized Ddesign based on the factorial concept, and comprised of three maturity stages (75, 90 and 100% maturity) and four storage temperatures (12°C, 14°C, 16°C&ambient temperature). Fruits harvested at 75% maturity and stored at 12°C recorded maximum green-life and better overall shelf-life, whereas, yellow-life was highest when fruits at 75% maturity were stored at 14°C. Best colour and texture was seen in fruits harvested at 100% maturity and stored at 16°C

Effect of plant growth regulators on flowering behavior of cashew cv. Vengurla-4 grown in the hilly tracts of South Gujarat

A trial was conducted at Subhir and Chikhalda locations in Dang district of South Gujarat, India to assess the effect of Ethrel, NAA and GA3 on the flowering behavior of cashew cultivar Vengurla-4 during 2013-14. Three concentrations each of GA3 (50, 75, 100 ppm), Ethrel (10, 30, 50 ppm) and NAA (50, 75, 100ppm) were applied as foliar sprays 20 days before blossoming and 20 days after full bloom in twenty year old trees of cashew cultivar Vengurla-4. Trees sprayed with 50 ppm Ethrel had significantly the highest number of flowering panicles per squaremeter (13.09), number of perfect flowers per panicle (87.11) and sex ratio (0.24) across locations and in pooled data. However, this was at par with 10 ppm Ethrel which emerged as the second best treatment of the trial. This study demonstrated the potential of Ethrel in improving various flowering parameters of cashew which are important determinations in increasing nut production

Antibacterial and qualitative phytochemical analysis of Giloy extract for application of herbal finish on cotton fabric

944-950The current study was planned to prepare antibacterial finish for grey cotton fabric using Giloy stem extract for healthcare applications. The selected grey cotton fabric was pretreated prior to application of the extract. For the extraction of the herb, maceration process was employed and the solution prepared was further subjected to soxhlet extraction to congeal the extract. Giloy extract was assessed for its phytochemical and antibacterial properties, to find out the bioactive components responsible for such activity. The application of the extract was carried out on pretreated cotton fabric using exhaust and pad dry cure methods (5 g/L). The treated fabric was assessed for its efficacy against the selected bacterium (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) using AATCC-100 Test method employing Agar well diffusion method. It is discernible from the results of the study that there was good antibacterial activity of Giloy stem extract treated fabric against Pseudomonas aeruginosa which was determined on the basis of zone of inhibition. It was also found that the finish nearly retained upto ten wash cycles and can be used for medical purposes

Antibacterial and qualitative phytochemical analysis of Giloy extract for application of herbal finish on cotton fabric

The current study was planned to prepare antibacterial finish for grey cotton fabric using Giloy stem extract for healthcare applications. The selected grey cotton fabric was pretreated prior to application of the extract. For the extraction of the herb, maceration process was employed and the solution prepared was further subjected to soxhlet extraction to congeal the extract. Giloy extract was assessed for its phytochemical and antibacterial properties, to find out the bioactive components responsible for such activity. The application of the extract was carried out on pretreated cotton fabric using exhaust and pad dry cure methods (5 g/L). The treated fabric was assessed for its efficacy against the selected bacterium (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) using AATCC-100 Test method employing Agar well diffusion method. It is discernible from the results of the study that there was good antibacterial activity of Giloy stem extract treated fabric against Pseudomonas aeruginosa which was determined on the basis of zone of inhibition. It was also found that the finish nearly retained upto ten wash cycles and can be used for medical purposes

Genetic diversity analysis of Katchaikatty Black – An endangered sheep breed from Tamil Nadu

The study presents the genetic diversity of Katchaikatty Black, an endangered and culturally significant sheep breed of Tamil Nadu. A panel of 25 microsatellite markers recommended for Indian sheep was used for genotyping. Considerable genetic variation in terms of allele diversity and heterozygosity was observed within the investigated breed. A total of 174 distinct alleles were detected across the analyzed microsatellite loci with an average of 6.96 alleles per locus. The average observed and expected heterozygosity values were 0.600 and 0.706, respectively. The positive heterozygote deficiency (FIS) value of 0.171, estimated for this breed may be due to the possibility of Wahlund effect resulting from sampling from different breeding flocks, i.e. different villages and flocks in the same area. A normal L-shaped curve suggested absence of genetic bottleneck in this breed. The information generated will be useful in guiding conservation and management programmes for Katchaikatty Black sheep

Farm diversification strategies, dietary diversity and farm size: results from a cross-country sample in South and Southeast Asia

South and Southeast Asia host almost half of the world's undernourished people. Food and agricultural systems in these regions are highly dependent on the production and consumption of staple cereals such as rice, maize and wheat. More diverse farming systems can potentially improve rural people's nutrition, while reducing the environmental impact of agriculture. Yet, it remains uncertain whether farm diversification is always the most suitable and viable strategy for all types of smallholder farms. We use generalised linear regression models to analyse the farm diversification strategies of 4772 rural households in Cambodia, India, Lao PDR and Vietnam. Our analysis is twofold and focuses first on drivers of farm diversification, and second, on the impacts of farm diversification and other livelihood strategies on dietary diversity. We find that (1) farm diversification is significantly influenced by environmental and climate variables, including rainfall patterns, as well as household and farm characteristics such as farm size and education level; and (2) farm diversification, market orientation and off-farm income generation are all strategies that can improve household and individual dietary diversity. However, their relative effects resulted influenced by farm size. Specifically, the positive effect of farm diversification on dietary diversity was larger for smaller farms, while it decreased for farms of larger size that may improve their diet more by increasing their engagement in off-farm activities and markets. These findings highlight that characteristics such as farm size can represent substantial determinants in production and consumption decisions, suggesting the importance of understanding and considering the type of farm and the situational context of analysis when targeting interventions for improving smallholder farm livelihoods

Mining of diverse short non-coding RNAs from transcriptome of milk somatic cells of Murrah buffalo

The non-coding RNAs (ncRNA) are known to regulate expression of genes at the transcription, translation and processing levels. The present study was conducted to identify diverse short ncRNAs from milk somatic cells of lactating Murrah buffaloes. Elucidating the molecular drivers of lactation in dairy animals will help understand the process of lactation, eventually leading to improvement in milk production and quality. In order to discover the ncRNA, the transcriptome data of 12 samples of somatic cells from buffalo milk were analyzed. A web based pipeline, exceRpt was used to perform the analysis. The most abundant short ncRNA molecules discovered in buffalo milk were the miRNAs, followed by snRNAs. Least number of rRNAs was discovered in the investigated samples. The total number of rRNAs, tRNAs, snRNAs, snoRNAs and miRNAs were 12, 23, 72, 51 and 229 respectively, in the entire dataset. On matching with miRBase v22.1, a total of 1724, 897, 211 and 4 miRNAs were observed to be common to human, bovine, caprine and ovine genomes. The results provide information on the bioavailability of short ncRNAs in buffalo milk somatic cells, most of which are largely uncharacterized. The generated information is a step towards developing a database for ncRNAs in buffalo species

Hepatic abnormalities in patients with chronic granulomatous disease

Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is a rare congenital disorder characterized by repeated bacterial and fungal infections. Aside from a high incidence of liver abscess, little is known about hepatic involvement in CGD. The aim of this study was to describe the spectrum of liver abnormalities seen in CGD. The charts of 194 patients with CGD followed at the NIH were reviewed, with a focus on liver abnormalities. Liver enzyme elevations occurred on at least one occasion in 73% of patients during a mean of 8.9 years of follow-up. ALT elevations were generally transient. Although transient alkaline phosphatase (ALP) elevations were also common, persistent ALP elevations lasting up to 17.6 years were seen in 25% of patients. Liver abscess occurred in 35% of patients. Drug-induced hepatotoxicity was documented in 15% of patients but likely occurred more frequently. Hepatomegaly was found in 34% and splenomegaly in 56% of patients. Liver histology showed granulomata in 75% and lobular hepatitis in 90% of specimens. Venopathy of the portal vein was common (80%) and associated with splenomegaly. Venopathy of the central vein was also common (63%) and was associated with the number of abscess episodes. Nodular regenerative hyperplasia (NRH) was seen in 9 patients, including 6 of 12 autopsy specimens. CONCLUSION: Liver enzyme abnormalities occur frequently in patients with CGD. In addition to liver abscesses and granulomata, drug hepatotoxicity is likely underappreciated. Vascular lesions such as venopathy and--to a lesser extent--NRH are common. The cause and clinical consequences of venopathy await prospective evaluation

Marriage and the crisis of peasant society in Gujarat, India

This contribution takes marriage as the example of a crisis of production and reproduction in rural India. Through the juxtaposition of ethnography separated by six decades, we detail a shift away from land and agriculture as the primary markers of status among the Patidars of central Gujarat, western India, in favour of a hierarchical understanding of international migration. The paper discusses the disconnect between a cultural revolution in favour of migration, and the failure of many to live up to their own cultural standards. More broadly, we reflect on the forces that simultaneously strengthen and dissolve caste inequality in the context of India's uneven growth